Breaking the Ice
by Akozu Heiwa
Summary: All Seamus wanted was a fun weekend with his crush. Is that too much to ask? Did Steve really have to come along too?


Okay. Look. It's not that Seamus is a little bit salty that Steve is coming with him and Krel to his uncle's cabin for the weekend. Steve is great, Steve's been his best friend since they were, like, five. But he had been working up the courage to ask Krel to come and then Steve overheard and assumed it was a _guys' weekend_, even though literally everyone else knew what was going on, so, yes, Seamus is a little bit salty.

"You kids keep warm," says Mom as she drops them off. "Call me if you need anything. I know service is spotty, but still try. Be safe."

"We will, Mom," says Seamus.

She kisses his cheek, then ruffles Krel's hair and gets back in the car. Seamus walks to the front door of the cabin and unlocks it as she drives off. Krel and Steve follow him inside.

"So there's definitely a sleeping bag in the closet," says Seamus. "But there's only one bed, so two of us will need to share."

Steve's eyes narrow. "Wow, Seamus. It's really nice of you to offer to take the sleeping bag."

Oh. _Oh_. So that's what Steve's playing at.

"Asshole," he mouths to his friend. Steve just smirks at him.

"We can rotate," says Krel. Has Seamus mentioned how much he loves this boy?

"Sounds good to me," Seamus cuts in before Steve can say anything. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Krel looks amazed in his endearing Krel way as Seamus walks them through the cabin. Steve's been before, of course, so this is mostly for Krel's benefit. Seamus has always loved the cabin, and he's glad his uncle still lets them use it when they want. A glance in the kitchen cupboards tells him that Uncle Brendan has stopped by and restocked the place. That sounds like him. So does the note reading, "Go get 'im, kiddo!" with a doodle of mistletoe on it. Seamus regrets telling Uncle Brendan _anything_.

"So, I was thinking tomorrow we could go skating on the lake," says Seamus.

"That sounds like fun," says Krel. "I've never ice skated before."

Seamus has a plan. Steve _will not_ get in the way of the plan. He read about this in a book. They'll ice skate. And they'll dance on the ice, and it will be romantic. Seamus will figure it out, somehow. And then, Seamus will kiss him. It's a perfect plan. Not even Steve can make it go wrong, and he is _not_ above knocking his childhood friend out if he tries.

"Are you sure the ice is safe?" says Steve, because of course he does.

"Yes," says Seamus. "I skate here all the time. It's fine."

He glares at Steve for good measure. He tries to mentally threaten him to back off, but Steve meets his eyes levelly and crosses his arm. Seamus didn't get in the way of him asking Aja out. He's a bit pissed Steve is getting in the way now.

"We should unpack," he says finally, breaking his glare contest with Steve. "We'll want to get lots of sleep tonight."

* * *

They head out early the next morning to the lake. For good measure, Seamus goes out first and tests it with a stick. As he predicted, it seems perfectly solid, so he glades back to shore. Steve joins him on the ice next, and Krel more hesitantly, arms out so he doesn't fall. Seamus skates over to him and offers a hand.

"Care to dance, your highness?" he asks.

Krel's cheeks darken, deep purple like bruises, endearing all the same. "Uh, sure."

Now. Seamus has very little knowledge of dancing on solid ground, let alone on ice, but he expects Krel hasn't either. He tugs the Akiridion closer and tries to mimic some sort of waltz on the ice, the one dance his grandmother had _insisted_ he learn as a kid. He'd hated it at the time, but now he mentally thanked her.

He spins Krel out and back in, and Krel laughs. Seamus can't help but laugh too. This is going well. It's going perfectly. Steve hasn't been obnoxious and gotten in their way, they're having fun. Krel's smiling, cheeks flushed from the cold, eyes bright and beautifully brown. Seamus leans forward and rests his forehead on Krel's. His blush deepens and he averts his eyes, almost shyly. Alright, Seamus, this is it. He gently tilts Krel's chin up–

–and the ice shatters under their feet.

Being suddenly submerged in freezing cold water comes as such a shock that Seamus gasps in water. He flares panicked focusers around his hands and spots Krel floating near him listlessly, eyes half-lidded, motionless as if frozen. The panic that follows gives Seamus just enough adrenaline to push himself to Krel and grab him, before a glowing, golden rope – magic, Steve's magic – wraps around the both of them and yanks them out of the lake, dragging them to shore.

Seamus coughs up water.

"Krel," he chokes out.

Steve kneels beside Krel, eyes wide. "Krel? Come on, buddy. Come on. Shit. Shit, _fuck_."

Seamus can do nothing but watch in terror as Steve starts chest compressions, mouthing words to himself, probably the lyrics to one of those songs they were taught to use. He curls in on himself, hands numb and body wet and freezing. Steve continues CPR. Seamus has never felt more helpless. He's cold from dread as much as the water and the now-bitter wind.

Finally, _finally_, Krel gasps and coughs. Steve sits him up, supporting him, but once he finishes coughing he's out, unconscious and blue-lipped. Steve's frown deepens as he glances to Seamus.

"Can you walk?" he asks.

Seamus nods. "Yeah – yeah, I think so."

Steve gently removes Krel's skates, then pulls Krel into his arms and stands. Seamus manages to remove his skates and stand as well. Fuck, it's cold. He stumbles after Steve, back towards the cabin and warmth. Is it weird that Seamus can't feel his hands? Or his feet, really. Or his nose. It's fucking cold.

By some miracle, they make it back to the cabin. Seamus is still trembling as they walk inside. Krel – isn't, which now that Seamus thinks about it is kind of worrying. Steve glances back at him as they reach the bedroom.

"Get into something warm," he says. "I'm going to help Krel."

"Okay," says Seamus. He peels off his gloves and shakes his hands, white from the cold, also not good, then grabs his pyjamas off the bed and his towel from the suitcase and leaves the room. He tugs off his sopping wet clothes in the bathroom and dries off. The towel alone is so much warmer, so changing into pyjamas is a very welcome improvement. By the time he makes it back to the room, Steve has managed to get a still-unconscious Krel into his pyjamas; he's wrapped the Akiridion's hair in a towel to start to dry it.

"I'm going to go make some hot cocoa," says Steve. "Get under the covers with Krel. It'll be warmer."

Seamus only has the energy to nod and climb into the bed. He curls close to Krel and tugs the blankets up to their necks. Well. This wasn't exactly the situation he was hoping for. Steve is right that it's warmer though. Krel instinctively shifts closer to Seamus, and Seamus adjusts to make it more comfortable for both of them.

Steve returns a few minutes later with a mug. "Not too hot. I searched on the internet and it said to be careful about that."

"Thanks," Seamus says through his shivers. Krel has begun to shiver as well. Seamus chooses to take this as a good sign. He takes a sip of the warm cocoa and offers Steve a shaky smile. "Well. I guess you were right about the lake."

"Guess I was," says Steve, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Look, man, I don't have anything against you and Krel being a thing, really."

"Sure seems like you do," Seamus mutters.

"I've never had a little sibling," Steve admits. "I'm trying not to mess this up. And it's kinda weird to think of my little brother and my best friend dating. But – I mean – look, I know you _really_ like him, because I've never seen you quite so… sappy."

"He's special," says Seamus, glancing towards Krel. He can't help but smile. "I dunno, man… I think – I might be in love."

Steve's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh."

Seamus can feel his cheeks heat up even despite the lingering cold. "Yeah."

"Well." Steve coughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his head. "Just so you know, if you break his heart, I break your bones."

Seamus laughs disbelievingly despite himself. "Are you giving me the shovel talk?"

"Yes!" Steve exclaims. "No! Just don't hurt Krel! Or I'll have to fight you!"

"You know I'd totally win."

"I'll sic Aja on you."

Seamus grimaces. "Okay. That's a good threat."

"I'm also a perfectly good threat," Steve grumbles.

"I won't break his heart," says Seamus. "Not in a million years."

Steve softens. "Yeah. I know you won't."

* * *

Seamus ends up falling asleep. When he wakes up to Krel shifting beside him, a glance at the clock tells him it's well into the evening. Krel groggily opens his eyes and blinks blearily at Seamus. Somehow, he's even cuter half asleep.

"Seamus?" he asks.

"Hey," says Seamus. Hey? What kind of response is _hey_?

Krel's brow furrows. "How did we get here…?"

"Well, I walked, and Steve carried you," says Seamus. "Warmed up?"

"Mostly," says Krel. "That was… very cold."

"No kidding," agrees Seamus. He readjusts into a sitting position and helps Krel do the same. He swallows. Okay, Seamus. Now or never. "So, this whole trip hasn't really gone… as planned…"

"I had guessed as much," says Krel. "I didn't think you _planned_ for us to fall in the lake."

"No, definitely not," Seamus says. "Look, I – so this wasn't supposed to be a guys' weekend."

"I'd guessed _that_ by how much you've been glaring at Steve," Krel says. He hesitates, cheeks darkening, suddenly looking shy. "Was it supposed to be… just us?"

"Yeah, that was the plan," admits Seamus. He takes a deep breath. "I really, _really_ like you, Krel."

Krel's blush darkens, but he smiles and nods. "I – uh – like you, too."

"You – you do?" Seamus blurts, which isn't what he meant to say at all but it is what comes out of his big, dumb mouth.

Krel tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. "I – I'm kind of new at this – I never really had _friends_, let alone – but–"

Seamus doesn't let him finish, instead leaning forward and pressing his lips to Krel's. Krel stiffens for a split second, before melting into the kiss. Oh, this was definitely worth the wait. They pull away a few moments later, what feels both like forever and like not long enough. Krel blinks at him and his lips curl into a smile.

"I can see why you humans like that," he says breathlessly.

"Yeah," Seamus manages. He knows he's grinning like a complete idiot, but he can't bring himself to care.

Krel leans up to touch his forehead to Seamus's, and Seamus tilts his head just enough to make the position comfortable for them both. Somehow, it feels just as intimate as the kiss.

"This is how Akiridions say I love you," Krel murmurs.

Seamus feels his face turn scarlet, but he closes his eyes and smiles. "Then – I love you, too."

Krel shifts and kisses him again, short and sweet, and Seamus can't help but pull him close. Krel curls against his side and hums contently. Seamus wonders if he could coerce Steve into grabbing them more hot cocoa, then decides that would be pushing his luck with Krel's apparently kind of overprotective brother.

Still, sitting here with Krel by his side, Seamus decides that maybe this weekend wasn't a complete bust, after all.

* * *

**A/N: Listen. LISTEN. I was in a mood to write, and I was in a mood for Kreamus, and this was the result. It was originally gonna be set in an Everybody Lives AU of wiz-fic, but, well, it didn't end up mentioning anything wiz-fic specific besides, like, Steve and Seamus having magic, which in theory could end up being canon-compliant, so, I'm posting it! I hope you enjoyed some soft bois being soft!! 3**


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